Dubai 2011: Samantha Wood is the founder of Foodiva, which is in her words, “the UAE’s first website dedicated to impartial and intelligent restaurant reviews.” Foodiva is also a friend of the Cultural Arts Traveller (theCAT) and you will see her logo on our website (check out the right hand column).

In a video interview with me, Samantha talks candidly about Foodiva, what got her started and what she hopes to achieve through her business. While this article is not related to art in the strict sense of the word, I feel that discovering the right places to eat and what to choose from the myriad of menus, is an art in itself.

A foodie understands that eating out is not just about the glamour attached to fine dining but the whole experience. Foodiva provides its members the complete eating out solution, which is achieved through the tie up with Round Menu. Samantha feels that the dining scene in Dubai is growing rapidly and there is a need for a website that can guide the average person through the entire experience, ranging from how to book online to where to eat. Her website certainly has helped me make some very informed and intelligent decisions about where to eat!

Visit the FooDiva website (foodiva.net)

PS: The Cultural Arts Traveller (c’est moi) would like to apologise for the spelling error of FooDiva’s name in the above video. The correct name is Samantha Wood and not Samantha Woods.